BOTH Guimaras and Camiguin islands said will focus their efforts on the provinces' agriculture and fisheries sectors to counteract the tourism slowdown triggered by the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic.
With this, officials from the two provinces during a press briefing with Communications Sec. Martin Andanar on Wednesday, November 25 said they were now backing the tourism industry with agricultural and fishery products.
Guimaras and Camiguin now double their effort to ensure sufficiency amid the coronavirus disease (COVID)-19 pandemic, said in press statements Thursday.
"Last year our rice sufficiency was 106, to date it’s 131. We had the biggest increase in rice production at 880 percent, higher than Aklan and Antique and Roxas," said Guimaras Gov. Samuel Gumarin.
Also known for their mangoes, Guimaras' mango production is now nearing 13,000 metric tons as compared to the 11,000 metric tons in 2018.
"As for fish sufficiency, we are at 110 percent," said Gumarin.
In Camiguin, the Department of Agriculture (DA) in partnership with the local government units (LGUs) strengthens programs on farmers’ livelihood projects, construction of farm-to-market (FMR) roads, irrigation, establishment of municipal slaughterhouses, provision of farm tractors, and more.
Camiguin Representative Xavier Jesus Romualdo aided in the construction of FMRs at Cabuan and Sitio Sandayong-Sitio Lisbong with a P2 million budget for each FMR in Guinsiliban.
"DA also provided P2.5 million for the town's farmers’ livelihood project," said Romualdo.
In Sagay, a P4 million FMR is built through Barangay Cuna LGU with about 0.447 km stretch.
Meanwhile, Mambajao LGU and DA partnered for the P800,000 construction of a composting facility.
Romualdo also said, Mahinog government aided with the construction of three FMRs worth P2 million for each road stretch at Barangays San Isidro, San Miguel and San Roque.
For Catarman, DA helped in the municipal slaughterhouse upgrade with a P2 million budget aside from establishing a composting facility with a P800,000 budget.
DA also provided 4WD farm tractors to the provincial government worth P1.82 million, according to Romualdo.
Both Guimaras and Camiguin heavily rely on tourism for economic sustainability but with COVID-19, the LGUs sought sufficiency ways to further help their constituents noting the adverse effects of the implementation of quarantine that mainly affected low-income families. (Recthie Tolinero/PIA10)
